


Hometown

by adrian (obitouchiha)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Although it takes place in the 90s, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Drama, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Heavily inspired by Stranger Things, Kinda, Konoha is a small town, M/M, Middle of nowhere vibes kind of, Modern Era, Mystery, Police, Slow Burn, i'll add more tags as i go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 08:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17915708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obitouchiha/pseuds/adrian
Summary: The small town of Konoha, practically situated almost in the middle of nowhere, is no subject to the mysterious disappearances of its citizens who vanish into thin air but then reappear out of the blue at random. But when Sasuke goes missing, his mother, the police and his close friends go on the hunt to find him but uncover even more mysteries and things they couldn't begin to comprehend.





	Hometown

_November 1998_

_North Konoha, 9:57 P.M._

 

Tonight had been once of those types of nights for the boys.

Closed down in the basement, surrounding the big box television with controllers in their hands. The brown, cushy sofa that had been sat on for about four hours now, except for the occasional departure for a snack or a quick leak to the bathroom, already worn out by the commotion. The yelling, arguing, laughter and name-calling that was surely loud enough to be heard in the house by the oblivious boys had the walls had been more thin. It seemed like the night would go on forever but the boys knew that they had a curfew, in fact, the whole town did. 

Mayor Minato Namikaze had declared a month ago that a curfew were to be set at 10:30 P.M. for everyone except law enforcement and emergency services to be clear of the dark streets or else should they face an arrest and a fine. The declaration came after several disappearances started to take place over a time-span of ten months and it wasn't truly until the mayor was pressured by townsfolk to enact a curfew. Most of the disappearances took place at night but some during the day and the people who disappeared were from all ages from the toddler to the teenager and to the adult. The disappearances didn't seem to affect the more senior citizens and it seemed to mostly younger generations at random but even so, that hasn't stopped making everyone feel uneasy.

The strange thing about the disappearances, though, were that most people who disappeared would reappear as if out of thin air. The Police Department had stated that with the help of a top investigator, they had tracked down each person who had gone missing and even touted themselves as the "best of the best", with a cocky sort of pride. Except, when investigators asked the missing-found persons where they'd gone, it all came down to the same conclusion: no memory. It seemed like each person who went missing had no recognition or memory of any incident that led up to their disappearance, as if they literally vanished into thin air without a trace and came back just like that. That certainly is strange but what made it more bizarre was that each missing person would come back with a distinguishing feature that had not been there before they left. Whether it be a scar, cuts or bruises, a tattoo or even new hair and eye colors, it was something authorities could not put their finger on. Could it have been something paranormal? Maybe. But the lead investigator suspects something else at work.

On the outskirts of town, there was a laboratory that operated under the state and federal government but it is indefinitely closed off to the public. The local police had tried getting in contact with the director there but every attempt was brushed off and declined for any comment. Not much was known about what went on in there and who the director was but it seemed that it could have been the cause of the disappearances. Yet again, maybe it was ghosts or vampires or demons. This town was weird.

So when the clock was reaching ten at night, Naruto Uzumaki was the first to let everyone know so. 

"Guys! Alright, it's getting late, you know? You guys should probably start packing." he said.

"Aw man, I was totally kicking your butt in Mario Kart though!" Kiba Inuzuka exclaimed, sticking his tongue out. 

"I don't think so. You and Naruto both tied, I was counting the entire time too." Shikamaru Nara said with a grin. "Of course, it was drag..."

Kiba smacked his arm. "You think everything is a drag! Whatever!" 

Shikamaru scoffed. "In any case, Naruto is right. The curfew is going to be in effect in about half an hour. Plus, I don't wanna get scolded by my old man."

"Aw man, my mom would ground me if I came super late. Yeah, you're right Naruto." Kiba said turning to the blonde haired boy. Naruto grinned. "Of course I'm right you know!" 

Shikamaru started grabbing his things, as well as Kiba, and started heading up the stairs. 

"See you tomorrow at school fellas!" Shikamaru yelled as he waved goodbye. "Yeah, you better show up!" Kiba exclaimed as they both left out the door. 

Naruto sighed as he started grabbing a familiar black hoodie from the chair next to the sofa. "Don't forget your hoodie, Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha faintly smiled as he got up from the chair. "Thanks Naruto." 

The blonde helped the raven-haired boy into his hoodie and making sure it was comfortable. Once Sasuke was settled, he and Naruto were heading out of the basement and to the front door. 

"Tonight was fun." Sasuke said, interrupting the silence. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even play! You sat next to me and watched us play the entire time." 

Sasuke scoffed. "Hm. It was fun watching you guys. I just wish I loved video-games as much as you guys do."

"I can always teach you, you know?" Naruto said reassuringly but Sasuke shrugged.

"It's cool. Not like I have a console at my place anyway. Speaking of my place, I should probably get going. My mom, you know how she is, she'll probably start freaking out if I'm not home like soon." Sasuke said with a sigh. 

Naruto huffed. "Kind of cold out tonight, isn't it?" 

"Yeah, just a little." Sasuke said, his cheeks ever so rosy from the crisp breeze. 

Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

Sasuke flushed ever so faintly. He liked the idea of Naruto walking him home as it felt warm and safe. He liked that idea. He liked his best friend.

Truth is, both boys really liked each other. Hell, they've known each other since their childhood and their bond was special but both boys were oblivious to the other's feelings so neither was brave to make a move. It scared both of them, they were stubborn. Naruto would always nonchalantly try flirting here and there but Sasuke would take it as friendly-talk. Sasuke was hard to read too so Naruto couldn't always figure out what Sasuke was feeling deep down. 

"No, it's okay, thank you." Sasuke said with a half smile. 

"Oh," Naruto said, "Well, I hope you get there safe." he smiled softly. 

Sasuke closed his eyes and chuckled. "Yeah yeah. Don't worry about me so much. I know, okay, you care about me."

"Well duh! You're my best friend! I'm supposed to care about you, idiot!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke shushed him. "Shut up loser, you'll wake your mom up." 

Naruto groaned. "Ugh, fine, you're right. You're lucky my dad isn't here. He would've scolded me for yelling. Hell, probably at all of us down in the basement earlier."

"He's not home yet?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shook his head. "He's still at work down at city hall, you know, doing his mayoral duties and stuff. But remember, I always go down to visit when he's available so it's not like I never see my dad-" Naruto stopped. He realized the topic of fathers was something Sasuke wasn't too fond of. His father, Fugaku, was always busy in the city with his organization and never really came down to visit. Sasuke sort of missed him but he wished he could see him again anyway.

"Sorry, I forgot-" Naruto started. Sasuke shook his head. "No, it's okay, you didn't mean to. I brought it up anyway, silly me." Sasuke joked and gently hit his head as if to say he was an idiot. Naruto gave a soft smile. "Well you should get going. I'm going to leave my house earlier than normal tomorrow to head for school. I kinda wanna stop by that ramen shop to see what's up. I haven't been there in awhile." 

Sasuke shook his head. "Oh you loser. I'll see you tomorrow at school." He started walking toward his bike on Naruto's driveway and propped himself on it, putting on his helmet. He flicked on the lamp in the front and turned to the road. 

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out and Sasuke stopped in his tracks to turn back to the blonde boy. Naruto stood there debating what to say now that he had the raven's attention but the words couldn't come out well. He sighed and grinned a big smile. "Get home safe!!" 

Sasuke smirked and waved to his friend and he was on his way home. Naruto stood there as he watched Sasuke peddle down the road and slowly out of sight. Naruto stood under his porch light as the sounds of crickets covered the night. He walked back inside and shut the door behind him before flicking off the porch light off signaling the end of the night.

* * *

_Southwest Konoha, 9:13 A.M._

"Agh, so much paperwork." 

Itachi Uchiha was running around trying to get his things together before heading to work. He was the lead investigator of the town and worked along-side the police department. He was extraordinary at his job and had much recognition and respect from the townsfolk and the mayor as well. But with a tough job, came a lot of paperwork and he was somewhat unorganized this morning.

"Itachi! Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" a voice called out from the kitchen. 

"No thanks, mom! I'm already running late but I'll grab an apple from the fruit bowl on the way out!" Itachi called out. His mother, Mikoto, walked in scolding him. "Oh you and your job and all that paperwork. Must be tough being a top cop!" 

"Oh, you have no idea." Itachi said with a joking matter. His mother started walking back to the kitchen before asking her son something. "Oh by the way, have you awoken Sasuke yet?" 

"Uh no," Itachi began, "I thought you did." 

Mikoto stopped in her tracks and turned to Itachi. "Itachi! Really?!" 

Itachi sighed. "Sorry mom, I just don't wake him up anymore because I figured he's grown and should wake up on his own now. His own responsibility you know?" 

"Well did he at least come home? Did you see?" she asked him. Itachi pondered for a bit. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure?"

"Well, ugh, I came home past twelve last night..."

"You stayed late?!"

"Yes yes and I know you're going to scold me but it's okay really. Don't worry about me. Now, I don't know if Sasuke came home."

Mikoto sighed loudly and shook her head. "I can't believe you Itachi, gosh. I'll just go check on him."

She walked to his room and knocked on his door. "Sasuke, wake up! You're going to be late for school." She jiggled the doorknob and saw it was unlocked. "Alright I'm coming in and you better be-" she stopped as she walked half way in and noticed Sasuke wasn't in bed.

She looked puzzled and walked back to the living room where Itachi was putting on his glasses. "He's not in bed."

Itachi raised an eyebrow and a bead of sweat formed. "He's not?"

"No."

"Well, oh! You know what, he probably stayed over and slept at Naruto's house. You know how close those two are." Itachi winked and his mother laughed. "Oh stop it. I'll just call Kushina then. I hope she's awake by now." Mikoto said and walked to the phone stuck on her wall. She dialed some numbers before she heard the familiar ringing noises. On the fourth ring, someone picked up.

"Hi Kushina?" 

"Yes?" the voice on the other side said.

"Hey, this is Mikoto."

"Oh hey! How are you? It's been awhile since we chatted you know. I hope you haven't forgotten about us!" 

"No no of course not! I was just calling to ask if Sasuke is over at your place?"

"Oh, he's not at your place?"

"No, I remembered he was staying at Naruto's yesterday with some friends but maybe he just slept over is all. Do you know if he did?"

"Well to be frank, I went to sleep before the boys even left so I'm not sure. Naruto left early for school too but neither of the boy's bikes are in the driveway so maybe he just went to school early with Naruto?" 

Mikoto tried to calm herself. Sasuke wasn't missing, no, he wasn't. She took a deep breath. "You know what, I- I just remembered that I think I saw him out in the backyard just a little while ago. I completely forgot. Sorry to bother you!" She hung up the phone before Kushina could even reply and put a hand on her head.

"What is it?" Itachi asked. His mom turned to look at him. "Kushina wasn't sure if Sasuke stayed over but she thinks he might've gone with Naruto to school early." 

Itachi bit his lip. "Well, probably. Sasuke might've just slept over and left with Naruto to school early before Kushina noticed anything. Bah, I wouldn't worry. Trust me, he's fine." 

He went up and kissed his mother's cheek. "Anyway I have to run. Shisui is probably already at the station waiting for my arrival. I'll be back tonight early for dinner, I promise!" he said as he walked out the door with a wave goodbye. Mikoto waved goodbye to her eldest son with a half smile. Something in here was off but perhaps it was just her anxiety getting to her. 

"No, he's right. He's with Naruto at school. Sasuke's fine." she reassured herself. She closed the door behind her and went to go turn off the lights in the kitchen.

* * *

  _Central Konoha, 9:29 A.M._

A set of bike tracks came pulling up the bicycle rack near the side of the school. He hated school, he really did, but his father wanted him to go to college and study so he couldn't say no.

Naruto chained his bike to the rack and noticed his other friend's bikes there too also chained up minus Sasuke's who wasn't there yet. 

 _That's odd, Sasuke's never late._ Naruto thought. He didn't think much of it as on some days, he knew Sasuke's older brother Itachi, would give him rides to school so he figured that's what had happened. He finished chaining his back and walked in the big red doors knowing he was going to be late to class but the teacher wouldn't really care that much.

Approaching his locker, he was met with his friend Sakura Haruno who was just happening to be walking by. 

"Hey Sakura, good morning!" he said in a cheerful voice. Sakura giggled. "Hey Naruto, how are you? You know you're late for class, right?" 

He shrugged. "Bah, I know that. But my teacher doesn't care. Aren't you late for class also?" 

She waved a finger at him. "Nuh uh. I got a hall pass to use the restroom, see?" She held up the wooden block tied to a string which had the words  _HALL PASS_ written with black permanent marker on it. He nodded.

"I see. Must be girl's problems." 

She smacked him in the arm with the wooden block and he shrieked.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me for...?" he said, rubbing his arm with his opposite one. She scoffed. "Like you would know how tough it is being a girl, Naruto. You and your dirty thoughts." 

He crossed his arms. "Well being a boy is hard also. It's especially harder when you like girls and-" he shivered. " _Boys._ " 

Sakura laughed. "Ah yes, what a burden it is to like men just as much as women, Naruto." She raised an eyebrow at him in a condescending manner. 

"Yeah yeah, it sucks, you know? But I'm doing a-okay!" he gave her a thumbs-up. 

"You know," she began, "Since we're on this topic, you asked Sasuke to the winter formal, right?"

Naruto gulped. Actually, no, he didn't. He meant to do so but being jittery and anxious to ask someone like Sasuke to a formal was not his thing especially because of how hard that boy was to read. He looked down. 

"You haven't?!" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto shook his head. "No..."

"Well, when's it going to be then?! Naruto come on! Time is running out! You better ask him before someone else snatches him from you." Sakura said which got the attention of the blonde. "What? Someone else take Sasuke? No no no no no. No! Don't say that! Not like you asked Ino to the formal!" Naruto said.

She scoffed. "Tsk tsk. I actually did and she said yes. So, if I did, why can't you huh?"

"I'm scared, is all." Naruto sighed and brought a hand to his head. "Ugh! Sasuke's just so hard to read, you know?! That damn idiot." 

"He's  _your_ damn idiot, though. Sooner or later, you're going to have to tell him how you feel. I know you really, really like him. Hell, you've had heart eyes for that boy since the third grade." Sakura said and she was right. Naruto had known Sasuke for longer but it wasn't until third grade when it hit him that he realized he liked Sasuke a little more than the best friend he was and here he was, still arrow-stricken by the timid boy as if Cupid forgot to take out the arrow from his back all this time.

"You're right. I think I'll ask him this Friday. Today's Monday so, that gives me four days to figure something out." Naruto said and put his hand in a fist, raising it. "I will ask him!" he exclaimed before Sakura covered his mouth. "Okay moron, hush before you out yourself to the world." She looked at the clock on the wall in the hallway. "Anyway, I gotta go. You better ask him Naruto!" she said as she walked away with a wave. 

Naruto waved back and went back to his locker, taking out a textbook he needed for his next class and soon after, shut his locker and went to class.

Walking in, he grinned and waved to the teacher. "Sorry, Iruka. I'm here now!" 

The tan skinned teacher known for his brown hair tied in a ponytail in the back and for his scar that stretched across his face from cheek to cheek gave a disgruntled sigh. "Just take your seat Naruto. You're already late, let's not disrupt the rest of the class."

He walked to his seat which happened to be right behind Sasuke's and immediately noticed the lack of a person in that seat. Matter of fact, he didn't even a pencil, paper, textbook or even a backpack near the desk. Sasuke was absent.

He whispered over to his classmate next to him. "Hey, Neji, have you seen Sasuke at all today?"

Neji Hyuuga shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I haven't seen him at all." 

Naruto turned back to face the front of the room. "Oh. I see."

He put his mind into Iruka's lecture trying to tune out Sasuke in his head. He shouldn't be worried since it could have been that Sasuke gotten sick from last night. After all, it was cold and maybe that hoodie of his wasn't warm enough to prevent him from getting a cold. He figured he'd stop by the ramen shop on the way from school and after buying some warm ramen, pay Sasuke a visit at his house to see what's up.

* * *

_East Konoha, 10:03 A.M._

"Well look who finally showed up! Mister Top Cop of the town!" 

Officer Shisui greeted Itachi as he walked into the headquarters who gave him a puff. "Yeah, I was running late this morning so I came a little late." 

Shisui smirked. "Well, you better go on to your office and get started on all that hefty paper work. I know that it's a lot but trust me, I already organized your filing cabinet so there's a start!" 

"You didn't have to, really, you're too kind." Itachi said with a smile and went over to the coffee maker and poured himself some coffee into a cup. "By the way, any follow-ups to the case we've been following these past two weeks?" 

"No, nothing has come up." Shisui said. "I know we found the guy two weeks ago but since then, nothing. I don't know. I'm just glad they come back from being lost, though, I wish these disappearances could just full stop." 

"Yes I know but I keep telling you it's that damn laboratory on the outskirts of town. It has to be!" Itachi said with a grunt. Shisui sighed. "I get where you're coming from but without any evidence to back it up, we're left in a pickle." 

Itachi took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat. "In any case, I'll be in my office. Just call my phone if you need me, line three please." 

"Yes sir!" Shisui said with a military-style salute and went off to his desk to type up reports on his computer and as Itachi left, he got a ring from the phone on his desk. 

"Geez, do  _you_ need me already Itachi. Damn it." Shisui said and picked up the phone after five rings. "Yes, Konoha Police Department?" 

"Shisui? Yes, hey, this is Mikoto." 

"Oh hey, Mrs. Uchiha! What are we calling today for?" Shisui said on his end of the line. 

"I just wanted to know if Itachi was already there for work. Is he?" 

"Actually yes, he just came in now. Late but you know, he's here." Shisui chuckled. 

"Oh thank goodness, okay." Mikoto said.

Shisui picked up on her abnormal behavior. " Is something wrong? You never call." 

"Well with all the stuff going on today, I just figured I would call to see if Itachi had come in. Nothing, weird or anything, no." 

"Uh, are you sure? Is Sasuke okay?"

There was a pause on the other end.

"Mrs.-"

"Sasuke didn't come home last night." 

"Oh." Another pause. "Are you sure?" Shisui asked her.

"I- I don't know. I didn't hear him come home after he spent the evening at Naruto's house and he wasn't in bed this morning so I thought he might have slept over at Naruto's but I called Kushina earlier and she said she didn't know whether or not he stayed over but she thinks Sasuke might've gone to school early with Naruto...I don't know. I-I just- I'm worried is all." Mikoto said with a shaky, uncertain voice.

Shisui shuffled himself in his seat. "So you really don't know where Sasuke is?"

"No!" Mikoto exclaimed. "I don't want to say he's missing! He's- he's not! I just want to know, I want to know if my baby boy is okay! Can you tell me if he's okay?!" 

Shisui bit his lip and cleared his throat. "Okay okay, I understand, you're worried for your son. But, I'm afraid we really can't do much until we have evidence that Sasuke disappeared for real. Now-"

"So what? Are you saying that you guys are just gonna wait it out and have my boy go under the radar? No, no, I want to know if he's okay. Please Shisui, I know I sound crazy but can you please do something? Anything?" Mikoto's voice quivered.

"I was just about to get to that." Shisui said. "Now, I can send over an officer to the school and see whether or not Sasuke was present in his classes or not. From there, we'll see what we need to do."

"Oh good, thank you Shisui. I just, I went AWOL for a second." Mikoto said with a nervous chuckle. 

"No no it's okay." Shisui reassured her. "But," he lowered his voice, "I'm going to have to keep this on the low from Itachi. Look, if something really happened to Sasuke, I don't want to let Itachi know immediately that his younger brother is missing. So, we'll keep this on the low but if anything major happens to come up, I'll report back to you. Itachi has a lot on his hands right now and the last thing he wants to find out is that Sasuke is gone." 

Mikoto sighed. "I know what you mean." She thought about the day Fugaku left to work for the city and remembered how Itachi would always wait for his dad to visit but never did. It was as if his father left forever so if Itachi found out Sasuke left, it would be a bigger burden to his heart. "Just, send an officer to school. Please call back if you find anything." 

"Alri-" Shisui got interrupted as the phone line hung up from the other end of the line. He sighed and grabbed his two-way radio. "Hey Obito, come in Obito." 

There was silence and then static when a voice on the other end responded. "Yeah go for Obito."

"Hey listen, I need you to check out the high school for me. Looking for Mikoto's kid, Sasuke Uchiha. Just verify that the kid went to class today. Mikoto is pretty worried..." Shisui trailed his voice at the end. 

"Itachi's younger brother?" Obito questioned. "You don't think he's mi-" 

"Just go see if he's there or not, please." Shisui said with a facepalm.

"Alright alright don't get your pants in a twist. Over and out." Obito said and put the radio on his belt as he got into his police car. He put the gear in reverse as he backed out of the establishment and in drive once he got on the road and off to the high school. 

* * *

  _Central Konoha, 12:13 P.M._

"You sure you don't want your fruit cup?" Kiba asked Shikamaru who was busy with the rest of the food on his plate; he shook his head.

"Alright thanks man!" Kiba said and grabbed the fruit cup off his friend's plate. He was about to dig in when he looked across the table and noticed Naruto playing boringly with the food on his plate, head resting on one hand. "You okay?"

Naruto shot up quickly and cleared his throat. "Yeah! Yeah, everything's fine...I guess." 

Kiba frowned. "No, it's because Sasuke wasn't in class today."

Shikamaru chimed in. "Yeah you're never depressed like you are today. Come to think of it, you're always happy when Sasuke's here, grant it that he never really speaks to us but he sure as hell loves talking to you."

"Yeah, so..." Naruto said without looking up from his plate of uneaten food.

"So...what I'm saying is, there's like something between you two." Shikamaru said. Kiba nodded. "Yeah, now that I think of it, you two are always so close to one another and you guys are always hanging out..."

Naruto flushed. "Can't two boys hang out without it being something intimate? I mean, we hang out all the time."

"Well yeah but you and Sasuke are practically a couple or something." Kiba said with a shrug. 

Naruto clenched his fists. "So? Is there something wrong with that if it was true?!"

"Geez Naruto calm down, I was joking." Kiba said remorsefully. Shikamaru scoffed. "Even if you and Sasuke are or aren't a thing, the bond you two have is something special. You really do care for him, it's understandable."

Naruto sighed. "Yes, I am depressed that he isn't here today but I'm gonna go check on him after-school. Maybe he got sick or something after going home in the cold last night? Maybe."

"Yeah it was pretty chilly and that hoodie he wears wouldn't have necessarily helped..." Shikamaru stated. "Could be a cold but I would check on him if I were you."

It was then that they were approached by a tall man with spiky, black hair wearing sunglasses and with a toothpick in his mouth. He wore the typical Konoha PD uniform and had the principal next to his side. 

"Principal Tsunade, M'am." the boys said in unison. She took a step with her heel clicking the pavement. "Boys, this is officer Obito, he wants to ask you guys some questions." 

"Are we in trouble?" Kiba asked. Obito shook his head. "Nah, not at all. I just wanted to ask you boys if you have seen Sasuke Uchiha at all today?" 

The boys looked at each other. "No, we haven't, is he okay?" Naruto asked.

Obito looked at Tsunade who gave her a concerning look. "Was Sasuke with you boys yesterday?" 

"I asked if he was okay." Naruto said sternly, giving the officer a look. 

"Naruto, don't talk back, he's a police officer." Shikamaru said trying to be the voice of reason. 

"I don't care! I want to know if Sasuke is okay! Is he okay?!" he exclaimed. "Knock it out Naruto!" Kiba said and all three boys were arguing, speech indistinguishable among the ruckus. 

"HEY!" Obito yelled, stomping one of his feet to the ground. The boys were quick to shut up and groaned. "I'm going to ask you one more time, was Sasuke with you all yesterday?" 

There was silence. 

"Yes, he was." Naruto said. Obito sighed. "Okay, now, did he go home after you all hung out?" 

"I-I offered to walk him home, but he said he was fine riding his bike alone. So, I didn't walk him home but yes, he went home just before curfew." 

Obito bit his lip and pulled out a pencil and a small notebook from his front shirt pocket. "Can you tell me what road he went down after he left and what his bicycle looked like?"

Naruto sat up in his seat. "Well, when he left, he took the road my house is on. Leaf Drive, which goes all the way down to his neighborhood. His bike is all black with a headlamp on the front. Um, I don't know if I should mention this but he always takes shortcuts to places and there's a shortcut just a few blocks down my house which passes by the old forest..."

Obito wrote down the information and put the pencil behind his ear and his notepad back in his pocket. "Alright, thank you." 

"Is Sasuke okay?" Naruto said getting up. Obito and Tsunade kept walking. Naruto got up and went after the uniformed officer. "I said is he okay?!" 

Obito stopped in his tracks along with Tsunade. "Naruto, go sit back down and eat your lunch. Obito is done questioning you boys." 

"No! Is he okay?! Please, tell me, I need to know!" Naruto begged, almost getting angry with tears in his eyes. 

Obito turned around and leaned down to him. "Look kid, Sasuke is fine. Just go back to eating your food and let the professionals do their work. What you need to know is not your business right now. So I suggest you eat, finish your classes and go straight home." he said and looked back to Kiba and Shikamaru. "This applies to you two as well. Go home." 

He went off to the front of the school to get in his police car and left Naruto and the boys at the outdoor patio table in silence. 

Naruto cursed. "Bullshit. I'm going to Sasuke's house after school." 

"But you heard what he said..." Kiba said with a worried look. 

"I don't care. They know something we don't and I'm going to find out what." Naruto said with a serious tone. Shikamaru sighed. "Man, every day, something in this town becomes a drag." 

Meanwhile, Obito got into his police car and pulled out his two-way radio. "Hey this Obito, I'm gonna need backup to meet me on Leaf Drive near Mayor Namikaze's household out by the old woods near it. Also, bring the yellow police tape."

* * *

 

_Southwest Konoha, 12:42 P.M._

 Mikoto sat in her cushion chair in front of the wall where the phone hung. She had been sitting there ever since she called Shisui at the police department, thinking about the best and the worst. The best news she could receive was that Sasuke was at school with Naruto and things would be back to normal. The worst news was that her little boy was missing and that there was no trace of him left.

She couldn't begin to comprehend it. When Fugaku left, she wasn't as hurt. His absence was noticeable but Sasuke and Itachi filled the hole that Fugaku left behind. Now that Sasuke could be missing, the hole was coming back. She didn't want that. 

The phone rang. She quickly got up and answered it. 

"Y-yes? Hello? Hello!" 

"Hey, Mrs. Uchiha." Shisui's voice on the other side said.

"Shisui! Hi! Is Sasuke at school? Is he okay?" she said in a hurried voice. 

"Well, based on Obito's assessment, Sasuke...was absent from all his classes since this morning." 

"Absent? No no, he's never absent. Not my Sasuke." Mikoto said. 

"Well, seems like your son was playing hooky. He was not in school at all." 

"Sasuke would not play hooky! Do you hear me? I'm his mother and I know very well what he's capable and incapable of. Hooky is not one of those things. Shisui, where is my boy?" 

"Look, I don't know but Obito thinks- He thinks he might be missing." 

There was a long pause. 

"Missing...I was...afraid of that." Mikoto said breaking the silence. 

"Now now," Shisui said, "Perhaps he ran away?"

"Sasuke wouldn't do that. I don't know- he- he wouldn't." Mikoto said worryingly. 

"Is there any reason as to why he could ever run away?" Shisui asked. 

Mikoto remembered all the times Sasuke would ask her about if he would ever go visit his father in the city to which she would say that some day. But that would be the response every time and maybe Sasuke was tiring of waiting. Maybe Sasuke ran away to see his father but then, why all of a sudden? Was she not a good mother taking care of him? She never listened to him, did she? No, she did. Sasuke is just...different. 

"Well," she began, "Fugaku never came back to visit us after he left to work in the city. Maybe- maybe he ran off to see him. But no. No, Sasuke wouldn't just run away. I refuse to- to even think that!"

"Well that's the only thing we got so far so until we get any other evidence, we can only assume he ran off."

Mikoto cursed and hung up the phone hard on the wall in frustration. Her son would  _never_ leave without permission from her. She only knew one thing she had to do. She had to contact Fugaku, immediately. She picked up the wall phone again and quickly punched in some numbers before she read the familiar rings. Someone picked up after a few rings.

"Hello?" a woman's voice said. 

"Hi, is Fugaku there? Who is this?" Mikoto said.

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Uchiha m'am?" the voice said. 

"No I don't- I don't have an appointment! I just want to speak to him, is he there?" 

"M'am I'm afraid I can't connect you to Mr. Uchiha if you haven't scheduled an appointment beforehand. Now would you like to-"

"I'm his wife for heaven's sake! Who do you take me for? I just want to know if my son Sasuke is there with hi-" 

The voice on the other line hung up. "Hello? Hello?!" Mikoto exclaimed and frantically pushed buttons on the phone until she slammed the phone back in its spot. 

"Damn, that man!" she yelled. "You know what? I'm going to visit him and I'm going to demand to see my son."

She got her things and stomped out the front door to her car. She realized she should've left a note for Itachi when he got home later but in the midst of the moment, she didn't bother and would explain everything to him when she got back home. As she turned the ignition and reversed out of the driveway, she pushed on the gas and made it down the road out of town to go to see her husband again and demand for her son.

* * *

* * *

_Southwest Konoha, 3:14 P.M._

When Naruto started walking up to the Uchiha household, he immediately noticed there were no cars in the driveway and it seemed like there was no movement on the property whatsoever. He got to the front gate and let himself in and up to the porch. He knocked loudly but not in a rude, demanding way.

"Sasuke!" he yelled and knocked once more. "Sasuke! You home?!" 

No answer. 

"Hello?! Mrs. Uchiha?! Itachi?! Anyone?!" he yelled as he knocked until he concluded that no one was home. "Damn it. Goddamn it!" he angrily said. He wasn't going to break in and he didn't want to wait around. It was getting chilly out and he only had on a light sweater. He walked off the porch and out the gate back onto the sidewalk. He needed to call someone and he needed to go home to make that phone call. It was a dumb idea but if he wanted to find Sasuke, he would need to pull it off.

When he got to his house, he greeted his mom and went to the kitchen where the phone was hanging on the wall. He dialed a few numbers and someone picked up almost soon after. 

"Shikamaru, I know this is last minute but I need you to meet me at corner of Leaf and Kage Street. Tonight, 7 P.M. sharp. Get Kiba too and don't be late!" He hung up before Shikamaru would even get a chance to respond. Now he needed to get a few supplies: a flashlight, a pen, notebook and a camera his father gave him for his birthday last month. If the cops weren't going to help him, he was going to get to the bottom of this himself, with the help of his friends of course.

* * *

_Northwest Konoha, 5:28 P.M._

"You really think this kid is missing?" Shisui asked. Obito nodded. "It's a hunch but if what I'm suspecting is true, then Sasuke is yet another case in the making." 

They had been looking around for the past few hours near the road Naruto had told them about and made it somewhat into the old woods by another road he assumed was a shortcut around the longer one. The leaves crunched under their steps and the air smelled different. It felt heavy, like during the summer when thunderstorms were getting ready to form, except it was near winter and it was chilly. It was going to be a chilly rain. 

"We've been out here for hours. We haven't seen anything yet." Shisui pointed out. 

"Just keep looking. Something'll pop up eventually." Obito stated and continued walking. Shisui cleared his throat. "So, are we going to tell Itachi about this?"

"Not yet. This case isn't up to him yet. We just have to conclude he's missing, for sure. Then..." his voice trailed off. "Then, we can tell him. But all I can say is, he will be beyond pissed and worried." 

"You're telling me," Shisui said, "His mom sounded ecstatic over the phone earlier and not in the good way." 

Obito scoffed. "Tch. Ever since Fugaku left, she's been protective of her children. I don't blame her. If my mate ever ran off and left me with my kids, I would pick my kids over any day." 

Shisui smirked. "But didn-" 

Obito stopped him. "Oh shush. That's, that's old news. Besides," he stopped and stretched, "Even if this Sasuke kid is missing, he'll be back like everyone else. I wouldn't be worried but then again, in her situation, anything is probable."

He cleared his throat. "Now uh, if you'll excuse me, I need to do my business behind a tree. Should've used the men's room before I decided to come out here, gah." 

Shisui sighed. "Yeah yeah, do your stuff." 

Obito trailed off to a nearby tree and went behind it to do his business. He was halfway with pulling down his zipper when something caught the corner of his eye. It was faint in his peripheral vision but when he fully focused on it, he knew was it was. 

"Hey! Shisui! Get over here." he said as he pulled up his zipper.

"What is it?" Shisui asked and stopped when he saw what Obito was looking at.

"You, you don't think?" Shisui began. Obito bit his lip and put his hands on his hips. "Yup, it most definitely is." 

He got the notepad in his front shirt pocket and opened it to the most recent page. 

 _Black bicycle, headlamp in the front_ it read. 

"Oh yeah, this is it." He snapped a finger at Shisui. "Get the police tape, we got ourselves a crime scene." 

"Yes sir." Shisui said and quickly went back to the police car to get it. 

Obito got on one knee to study the object in front of him. 

There was in no doubt that this was Sasuke Uchiha's bicycle, out here in the middle of the woods, half a mile away from the main road. 

Sasuke was missing, that was concluded, but now remained to be concluded was: why was his bicycle out here in the middle of the woods and where did Sasuke disappear to? 

Obito sighed. "Itachi won't like this."


End file.
